


Brightest Night

by sugarby



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Banter, Friendship, Gen, M/M, camping trip, mentions of Chocobos and Prompt marrying Cindy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8080633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarby/pseuds/sugarby
Summary: The high-school camping trip to Duscae isn't particularly enjoyable until later when the stars and Prompto come out, and wishes are made and banter ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A re-post and 'remastered' ver of [this](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11136746/1/Bright-Starry-Night) so it's the better ver which I'd recommend over the original. I've decided to post this here, too, because why not? and I've been working on a second part since the first one.
> 
> *Title inspired by "Bright" by Echosmiths.  
> *Don't let the title throw you off, I tend to tweak them a little when they're re-posts.  
> *I created this from a spontaneous decision to start writing on a blank text-post but why it took me 2hrs overall irdfk.

Noctis thinks the stars twinkle a lot on _this_ side of the camp, away from the campfire and sat near the edge of cliff overlooking a wide-spread view of the land of mountains and green fields, small, free creatures and the sway of the forest. It's chilly, so the light whip of wind against his skin calls upon goosebumps, but the several thoughts collecting in his mind take his focus: Unorganized, and some of higher priority but there nonetheless.  
  
It's day four out of five of the camping trip he'd been tricked in to going on ("friends" had suggested the long-seat at the back of an empty bus to be a great place to rest awhile; it filled with recognizable classmates and began to move not long after.  
  
Noctis scoffs at the memory, wonders how he could've ever fell for such a trick.

These annual-ish field trips in to uncharted wilderness right before Summer are 'supposedly' meant to give a small class of young adults knowledge and experience about the outside—a hand's on crash course in Geography and Sociology, if one likes. It's not at all for the teacher, Mr. Ignis, to brag about what he already knows and understands from his "escapades" across different regions: the slick, black car he drives and teaching-assistant, Mr. Gladiolus, sometimes carpools in, the one time it broke down and they defeated a rogue beast to earn the money for the repairs—Noctis recalls this one well because he was there.  
  
Duscae itself isn't bad; it owns nice scenery on behalf of Mother Nature spreading all over, fresh green sprouting and growing healthily from almost any place that isn't hard and slabbed. So it's nice and could be something to make small-talk about if a) his classmates weren't so cautious of him or invested in asking a thousand questions catering to his life as a royal heir, and b) the alternatives weren't between shifty locals situated in the nearby caravan park beside a Mechanic's workshop, and Duscaen wildlife. Noctis has at least one friend and they weren't completely on board with this trip neither, but stepping off the bus, Prompto had caught sight of the small Chocobo farm—and ran to them, screaming— _and then_ he saw the Mechanic (well, his granddaughter who handles most customers) and he almost broke out in cheerful song, almost tripped over his own feet; Prompto had quite enthusiastically and rather dramatically said, in a dreamy state of daze and admiration, that _Cindy_ and the adorable Chocobos are worth _"roughing it in the crappy capital of nowhere-ville, where wifi is fictitious and decent cell reception a dying hope."_

Yeah, Cindy's great—with her hands and she is gorgeous—

 

> "I think I wanna marry her, Noct..." Prompto had claimed with the same 'wide-eyed, over-exposed to the sparkles and hearts surrounding Cindy' expression with clasped hands near his erratic heart as he watched her.
> 
> And Noctis just had to laugh. "That's nice but I reckon you ought'a start with dinner first."  
>    
>  "Be my best man at the wedding?!"  
>    
>  Noctis had laughed again but nodded his head to the plan. "Sure thing." In fact, he even kind of felt honored a little.

 

Yeah, so _that_ happened.   
  
No offence to Cindy but Noctis can't say she's _the_ highlight of this trip for him, that's reserved for his solo venture in to the forest and run-in with a group of hungry, drooling creatures; he was between fight and flight when Ignis, Gladio and even Prompto arrived to assist before he could receive an injury worse than just a scratch across the cheek.  
  
It's quite sad actually when Noctis thinks about it—his flimsy, cutely designed band-aid is all he has of his short-lived thrill throughout the entirety of the trip. Even more sad are Ignis' given ' _consequences_ ' after a Potluck Stew dinner for going off alone and "nearly dying": a round of scolding with pretentious metaphors and historical quotes, and exclusion from the 'highlight' of the trip nearing its end in Duscae. Ignis inadvertently only makes Noctis feel lucky to be excluded from singing around a campfire, and good thing, too, because it didn't seem like another lifeless tale about a sore throat would do the trick again, nor the second excuse he started:

 

> "Pardon me, Noct, but your story doesn't sound very _plausible_."
> 
> "It's the truth."
> 
> Ignis gave him such a skeptical look as he raised up his glasses. "Oh really, now? You don't know _any_ traditional campfire songs? Not a single one?"
> 
> "Nope."
> 
> "You're must be having a laugh."
> 
> "Not laughing." said Noctis, straight-faced.
> 
> "Right." Ignis' flat tone left no doubt that he wasn't convinced. He was, though, _done_. "Well, what a shame. Perhaps next time."
> 
> "Yeah, I'll be there."

 

He won't be there, he'll make sure of that.  
  
"Permission to join in on ' _Noct-time_ '?"

Noctis looks over his shoulder and standing there is Prompto, abundantly certain if he makes a cute enough face he'll be hard to say no to, yet  his posture a bit shy of complete confidence in how one leg bends to the side a bit and swings back and forth. Even after all this time, though they've been friends for a few years now, he still can feel...a little _jittery_ when approaching the young Caelum.

"It's not really my time if someone else is here with me."

"Yeah— _no_ , _I know_ , I get it. You like to think. To be honest, I'm kinda surprised you're even awake."

"M'not. Sleep-talking."  
  
"Oh, good, I was afraid I missed the chance to give you a make-over." says Prompto and he pulls out of nowhere a thick, dark marker with a straight face.

" _Wow_." Noctis smiles. " _Such_ a good friend."

"I know, right? It would've been a  _free-of-charge_ make-over, too!" Prompto comes to sit beside the young Prince on the cliff-side. He casually pokes a finger in to his cheek until it's swatted away, he smiles and leans back on his hands, breathes out, relaxed, looks up to the sky. "This is what I call a view! Man, the stars don't look like this back home—not that I really get much chance to look at them."

"I know what you mean."  
  
"...Hey, so...um, today...I know Ignis already told you off for this, that's not why I came here, but...you seriously had us all freaked. One minute you say you're taking a pre-dinner nap, next you're trying to make friends with things that don't make good pets."

"I was bored. Got...' _fun-sick_ '."

"That _is not_ a thing."

"It could be. I can make it a thing. Maybe when I'm King I'll make it official with a ceremony and everything."

"Can you ban school exams and trips like these too, please?" Prompt laughs, but he becomes serious again when the sound of carefree friends silences. He remembers the heaviness and ache in his heart and that it's nothing like what he feels when they're in trouble at school for disrupting classes with enthusiastic chatter or having a hand in a release of anarchy or even sometimes getting detentions lasting for a month. The feeling this time was dread, _real_ and _stomach-twisting_ , fearful. "...But seriously...I was so scared you were seriously hurt. What if I... _we_ lost you? I may not be Hercules or Superman, and I don't carry a large sword like Gladio, or think with my head like Ignis, but don't forget I've always got your back."  
  
Now Noctis feels guilty, for sounding as though he under-appreciates his friends when he doesn't; every high-five with Prompto or the others after a close call or good take-down means a lot to him. "I know. Really, I do." he places a hand over Prompto's to reassure and thank him.  
  
Prompto smiles back bashfully, next he refocuses on the sky. "Hey, what do you think the chances are of us seeing a shooting star tonight?"  
  
"Like I know. Why? What are you after?" Noctis asks his best friend only shrugs, seemingly giving nothing away, but a hint to his answer's in the way he looks at the stars but _stares_  at Noctis, the guy who made an effort to help him when he fell in the very beginning when they met, the guy he walks home from school with, the guy he gets to call his first, only and best friend.  
  
At the campsite on the other side they hear Mr. Gladiolus strumming a six string and Mr. Ignis is in high spirits, leading the rest of the class—the  _willing_ percentage—in to song, "The more we get together, together, together, the more we get together the happier we'll be."

And they, so fond of Ignis and charmed by Gladiolus, sing along and sway side to side to the rhythm as the campfire burns in front of their eyes"—For your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends. The more we get together, the happier we'll be!"

Mr. Ignis sings on with a pleasant smile, "The more we sing together, together, together, the more we sing together the happier we'll be—"

Prompto groans, head tipping back. "The _faster_ _they stop_ singing the _happier_ _I'll_ be."  
  
Noctis chuckles. "Now that's something to wish for."

"You can say that again!"

It's not long afterwards when the campfire festivities conclude to the darkening of the night. Whatever stars are left aren't visible, and so Noctis decides that his last night of this school trip to Duscae is uneventful.  
  
Ignis hadn't forgot about him. When he sends the students off to bed with well wishes and thanks them for their participation the past few days, he sees to the misbegotten partaker with a steaming mug in hand. "Here you are, a warm beverage to send you off nicely for the evening."

"What is it?" Noctis peers in to the mug but can't tell of its content past the fancy milk froth and placed, miniature sponges. Ignis tells him it's hot chocolate with whipped cream and mini marshmallows, and Noctis feels a little embarrassed he couldn't tell something so simple but it even smelled different—Ignis' handy culinary work! The first sip is rich in sugar, smooth in texture and overall so good to tip back down his throat.

"That was some nice singing back there, Igs!" Prompto says.

"Thank you. I did wonder why you didn't join the group."

"Ah! S-See, I...don't know the songs! Haha!"

"That's odd. Noctis told me the same thing."

"It's an age thing, haha. It's gotta be!" Like before, the teacher isn't convinced, but unlike before he doesn't look as though he'll give another student a pass. Prompto heeds the warning and quickly makes a show of being tired, standing up and yawning, stretching all the way back. "You know what? I'mmmaaaaahhh...tired. So tired. Yep, that's me done for the night. Just like this trip.. _.thank God_."  
  
"Yep, until the next camping trip just before the class ends for Summer." Mr. Gladiolus appears with a smirk, knowing it's the last thing the blond wants to hear but happy to milk his dissatisfaction for all it's worth—a lot of amusement.

"Great. _Thank you_. Well, I'm still gonna hit the hay."

"Be careful it doesn't hit back." Noctis jokes.

"Oh _har har_. Is it _really_ even possible for _anyone_ to sleep _before you_ , Noct?"

"Shut up."

"Is that an official order, _Prince_?"

"And again, _shut up_."

"Round one to me."  Prompto says, cheekily grinning. looks up at the stars again, one last time, and he wants to know, "What made you feel like looking at the stars tonight anyway?"

Noctis thinks a little while about it. "They just look a lot brighter, to me, on this side of camp."

"...Yeah, they are." Prompto agrees with his eyes entirely on Noctis and the glow of the stars over him. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you've read this far, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you very much! I'm so glad I did this because I really prefer this version, it has a lot more to offer and so much promptis banter unlike before! <3 ^-^


End file.
